The five main components of UX
There are five points on which you should always keep in mind? Psychology, Usability, Design, Copywriting, and Analysis.
Psychology
Psychology has a lot to do with how a user thinks, how he feels, and what he actually wants. UXers operate with these different thoughts a lot and those thoughts, feelings and desires can either make or break the creation or the whole thing. Communicating effectively with others is the aim of any designer, but it can sometimes prove frustrating due to their own psyche.
Ask yourself:
- How exactly is the user motivated to be here in the first place?
- What are their feelings on this topic?
- How much effort will the user have to invest in order to produce the desired outcome?
- What habits will be formed if they repeat this pattern over and over again?
- When someone clicks this, what are they expecting to happen?
- Did you assume that they already know something? Are you assuming that they already have knowledge that they haven’t acquired yet?
- How often will they repeat their actions, and why are they doing so?
- Do you take the time to pay attention to the user’s needs and wants, or do you simply guess what their needs and wants are?
- Positive behaviors are rewarded to what extent?
Usability
While the psychology of the user is predominantly subconscious, the usability is more consciously driven because the senses that one uses to determine when something is confusing will teach one how to avoid that situation in the future.It is our task to make the process of something complicated as easy as possible, so the users can feel comfortable while they follow the process.
Ask yourself
- Could you design a program that would handle most everything without the user having to do a lot of the work?
- Can you anticipate any user mistakes and avoid them? (hint: there is one, it is a very common mistake.)
- Are you being straight-forward and direct in your language, or are you being clever a little too?
- What makes it good, what makes it better, what makes it the best?
- Whether you choose to work with or against the assumptions of the user, does it make a difference?
- Could you please make sure that everything that the user needs to know is provided?
- Could you do something more common as a possible alternative in order to solve this problem?
- Is it the users’ logic or categories you are basing your decisions on, or are you basing your logical or categorical choices on your own intuition?
- Even if the user doesn’t read the fine print, is it still valid/makes sense, if the user does not read it?
Design
If you are a UX designer, you have the freedom to formulate your own definition of what an appropriate design is, however, there is little art involved in doing so. Irrelevant is your opinion about the design. From a UX perspective, design is not a matter of style. To prove the user interface works, it must first be verified for functionality.
Ask yourself:
- Does the design evoke confidence in users? Are users attracted to it immediately when they see it?
- Does it provide a straightforward explanation of the design’s function without jargon?
- Is the tone consistent with the brand or does it all go against it?
- Taking this idea into account, how does the design guide the user’s attention toward the intended destination?
- Are the designer’s or developer’s choice of colors, shapes, and typography appealing to the audience and improving the usability of the details?
- Are you able to distinguish between clickable and non-clickable items?
Copywriting
There are distinct differences between writing brand copy (to use as a text) and UX copy. The brand copy should support the company’s image and values. Ensure that your copy is as direct and as simple as possible.
Ask yourself:
- Do you conclude that the text sounds confident and provides the user with straightforward instructions?
- Is this information motivating the user in order to reach their goal? Is that what we want to see, or does it get in the way?
- Is the most important text the one that has the largest font size? If not, why not?
- Does it let the user know or does it assume they already have a sufficient understanding of the matter?
- Is it effective in reducing feelings of anxiety?
- Are you satisfied with the clarity, directness, simplicity, and practicality of this statement?
Analysis
My observation is that the main area of weakness for most Designers is Analysis. Objectivity and attention to detail are very important elements of UX which make it different from other types of design. Many ways analysis makes you different from others, and you will be better off if you excel at it.
So ask yourself:
- Is the data you use to prove that you are right, or are you merely using it to learn what the truth is?
- Is your request for opinions subjective in nature, or did you intend to find facts that are objective in nature?
- Have you gathered any evidence that may enable you to draw these conclusions?
- In your view, why do users behave that way, or are you interpreting their behavior?
- Is what you are looking at relative improvements or absolute numbers?
- How will this be demonstrated? What are the criteria you utilize?
- Are you also looking for a negative result? Could you explain why?
- Would you be able to articulate how this analysis can be used to enhance the quality of the work you are presently performing?
